Scoring means for game boards



SCORING MEANS FOR GAME BOARDS Filed June 9, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Y5 IN INUTE Mnvurss m HAY 0901502! wv: swa

/0 ENVENTOR I may/ 06K510); J:

ATTORNEY May 17, 1938.

T. E. BROWN, JR

SCORING MEANS FOR GAME BOARDS Filed June 9, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 5 w R u L N m M m T m m V 8 w a m 2 m gr I; an"

J W m Y m M m m w NM A TY B m 4 a May 17, 1938. 5 BROWN, J 2,117,398

SCORING MEANS FOR GAME BOARDS Filed June 9, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 1/ fix A LQQLEUJEL F j? W 39 -QUARTER J8-- 1 4/ I 4 17- i 5 Mmursa J7 j INVENTCR 17 770/1051? Emu/5J BY 6% f I "1 ATTORNEY Patented May 17, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application June 9,

7 Claims.

The invention relates to game apparatus of the nature embodying a game board or plat over which figures or playing pieces are designed to be moved, in accordance with directions determined by manipulating cards, dice, spinners, etc., by the players of the game.

The invention has for an object the provision of simple and economical scoring and recording devices for the different plays and playing pieces for association directly with a game board or plat, which devices and pieces will readily be movable manually from one location to another by the players, but which will be held securely in position after being so moved.

A further object of the invention resides in the novel arrangement for securing such devices and pieces in position against displacement by accidental shocks or jars which may be given the board, or by accidental brushing of the devices and pieces by the hands or arms of a player.

Still another object of the invention resides in the provision on the game board of suitable receptacles to accommodate any of the playing pieces which may not be in use at the particular moment.

In carrying out the invention, a game board is provided over its surface with representations of the particular game desired, for example, of a miniature football field, baseball diamond, golf links, etc., which surface, also, is channeled or grooved adjacently the playing portion as well as, in certain instances, also on said playing portion. Within the channels thus provided is designed to operate a novel form of recording or playing device for recording and/or scoring momentary progress of the game, as the plays and results thereof.

These devices, to this end, are provided with a toothed portion designed for insertion in a corresponding notch or notches of a channel of the board; and provision is made, furthermore, to hold an inserted device in position such that its removal may be effected only by rocking or rotating it as a whole about an edge opposite the notched portion and while holding the same against the corresponding wall of the channel in which it is temporarily held. Such devices may be equipped with suitable means serving as a finger hold for manipulation in thus locating the device in, or withdrawing it from, its associated channel, and for moving the same longitudinally of the channel, as by sliding the device along the said opposite edge as an abutment. The nature of the invention, however, will best be 1936, Serial No. 84,271

understood when described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a plan View of a game board, representative of a football field, and equipped with the novel scoring and recording devices.

Fig. 2 is a similar view setting forth the board as representative of a baseball diamond, and provided with the requisite scoring and playing devices.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of a modification in one of the scoring devices illustrated in Fig, 1; and Fig. 4 is a further fragmentary plan view illustrating a modified form of marker device particularly suitable for use with the game board illustrated in Fig. 1.

Figs. 5 and 6 are fragmentary plan views illustrating further modifications in the scoring and marking devices.

Figs. '7 and 8 are enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sections taken on the line 1-8, Fig. 3 of the drawings, Fig. 7 illustrating a scorer or playing device in locked position and Fig. 8, in position for insertion, removal and/or shifting of the scorer device.

Figs. 9 and 10 are similar views, taken on the line 9l0, Fig. 4, and illustrate also a modification in the marker device.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line I I-I I, Fig. 5 of the drawings and illustrates a modification in both the channel arrangement and the scorer or playing device.

Figs. 12 and 13 are enlarged fragmentary sections, taken on the line l2I3, Fig. 6 of the drawings, and illustrate a still further modification in the scorer or playing device, the former figure showing the novel device located in position and the latter figure, the device in elevated position.

Referring to the drawings, more particularly Fig. 1, I designates a sheet of card board or other suitable material of the required thickness to afford a more or less rigid sheet upon which is represented or inscribed to scale a modern football field, the same being inclosed by the side lines II and I2 and the ends I3 and I4, each end having also represented thereat the goal posts I and I6, respectively. The field, furthermore, is divided longitudinally and to scale with the usual yard-lines IT at five-foot intervals, these lines being drawn more heavily than the intermediate one-yard lines I8. In addition, longitudinal dividing lines I9 are provided over the field to indicate transverse positions, the same being shown at intervals of five yards.

One of the side-lines, as the side-line II, is

indicated as serrated or notched at one-yard intervals; and there is provided adjacently thereto in the surface a channel 20 to receive a side-line marker member 2!, hereinafter more fully described, and designed to be manipulated along the said side-line to set off thereon ten-yard intervals. A playing piece 22 is represented as a half of a football for convenient grasping by the fingers; and this piece is adapted to slide, with its fiat side in contact with the field surface, over the said surface; and it has a pointed end 23 to indicate the direction of movement of the theoretical ball on the field and its position relative to the transverse yard-line.

Along the two sides of the field and upon the board itself are represented various scoring means, for example, the representation 25 as in adjacent squares numbered for the plays in one minute; also a representation 26 as in adjacent squares numbered for the quarters of the game; and a similar representation 21' for the downs. There is provided, also, a representation 28 for minutes to play, and a representation 29 for yards to go. In addition, a scoring panel 36 for the home team and a scoring panel 3| for the visitors is provided on the board. The actual manner of playing the game is more fully set forth in an application for Letters Patent of the United States filed jointly by me and Shortridge Hardesty the 12th day of January, 1935, Serial No. 1472.

The representations of the different plays and scoring may be variously located over the board but, preferably, off the field itself; and the game board is preferably provided, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, of several thicknesses or laminations of the material, the under of which being generally of more substantial material while the uppermost one is slotted to afford the serrations and channel along one side of the field, and the various channels and serrations or notches hereinafter described and associated with the different scoring representations aforesaid.

Thus, reference being had to Figs. 3, '7 and 8, the lowermost lamination is uninterrupted throughout while the uppermost one 35 is provided with the longitudinal slot 37 having notches along the inner side as at 38. This slot, furthermore, is preferably undercut or beveled backwardly, as indicated, so that a movable scoring device 39 may be locked therein at different 10- cations longitudinally of the channel. The device 38, to this end, is provided with a projection or sharp tooth 5-8 at one side to be located in a selected notch of the series of notches 4| of the channel, while its opposite side 52 is preferably rounded in a vertical plane to abut the beveled or undercut portion 43 and permit of rotation of the device when engaged with slight pressure against an abutment formed by said undercut portion 43. The scoring devices are constructed, preferably, of heavy material to insure greater stability in their locations. The scoring device is also indicated as having its toothed portion undercut over the lower forward half to afford clearance in the rotating of said device and to assist in the centering of the same in a notch.

A finger piece 44 extends upwardly from the scoring device for convenient manipulation of the same, for example, as indicated in Fig. 8 of the drawings, in which the finger tip 44 is indicated as pressing through the finger piece the rounded side against the undercut abutment While retaining the projection elevated. 'Ihereupon, in pressing downwardly upon the scoring device, it will be positioned within the channel and selected notch to lie slightly below the surface of the uppermost lamination 36, as indicated in Fig, '7.

In this position it is secured against direct withdrawal through the overhang or retaining lip of the undercut portion; and when it is de sired to remove or shift the scoring device, the operation is reversed. That is to say, the device is rocked or tilted as a whole about the rounded side, engaging the juxtaposed abutment, by slight backward pressure until the projection portion Gil clears the surface of lamination 33, whereupon it may be slid by additional transverse pressure along the channel to a new location and lowered to fit into the desired notch.

In Figs. 4, 9 and 10, a scoring device with double projections is indicated, the member being similar to the ten-yard marker 2| indicated in Fig. l of the drawings. The operation of this device is precisely similar to the single projection device previously described except that it is preferred to provide a single finger piece 45 in termediate the projections 46 and 4')! and also to provide said finger piece with a rearwardly directed nose or stop 48 for contact with the surface of the upper lamination 39 in order to limit the tilting movement of the marker device.

Instead of constructing the board of laminatlons, for the purpose of securing the channels and notches through the provision of an additional lamination, the desired scoring elements may be separately constructed, for example, of material more durable than that of the game board proper and be attached thereto. Thus, as indicated in Fig. 11 of the drawings, a channel forming member 50 is attached to the game board 5i opposite a notch-providing element 52 to receive between them the scoring device 53.

Aiso, instead of providing the projections of the scoring member as sharp teeth as hereinbefore described, the same may be in the form of rounded ends 55 to fit corresponding semi-circular sockets 56, as indicated in Fig. 5.

Furthermore, as indicated in Figs. 6, l2 and 13, instead of providing such device with an upstanding finger piece, the top of a scoring device may be recessed to provide a fingernail hold 85, the manner of manipulating the same being more particularly indicated in Fig. 13. In this latter embodiment, no portion of the scoring device projects above the top surface of the game board and thus it is particularly proof against inadvertent dislodgment, as by brushing by the sleeve or hand of a player. Moreover, the channel E2 in this instance is not undercut; and the side of the device opposite its projection portion is provided in addition to the rounded portion 63 with a beveled side or stop 64 for contact with the juxtaposed channel wall to limit the tilting of the device.

Fig. 2 shows a plat for a different game, and comprises a board Ill simulating a baseball diamond. In this embodiment, representations ll, 72 and T3 are provided, respectively, to register the strikes, balls, and outs, and are correspondingly provided with channels and opposite notches. There is also provided a representation "M for runs in inning, and representations 'd5 and 16 for total runs for both the home and visitor teams-all channeled and notched as hereinbefore described. The scoring devices for use with the different representations are similar to those hereinbefore described and one device 11 is indicated in position for the strikes.

The scoring devices in this embodiment are suitable also for indicating the position of a player on the field and particularly in connection with a runner with respect to the bases. Thus, a device B is designed to operate in a channel 8| provided along the different base lines. Moreover, similar pieces may indicate the different positions of the team members in the field, and when these are not active the corresponding pieces are adapted to be located in a bench 82 or 83, corresponding to the home team or visiting team-a player when not on the field being represented by a scoring device member 84 positioned in a channel 85 of the corresponding bench.

I claim:

1. The combination with game apparatus embodying a playing board provided on its surface with a grooved or channeled section notched along one longitudinal wall thereof; of a movable device slidable in the channeled section and provided with a toothed portion at one end and its opposite end rounded in a plane transverse to the groove, said toothed portion being adapted to locate in a notch and the device to rock about its rounded end, transversely to the channel with the corresponding channel wall as an abutment, for clearing the tooth of the device from a notch.

2. The combination with game apparatus ernbodying a playing board provided on its surface with a grooved or channeled section, one longitudinal wall of which is undercut and the opposite one notched; of a movable device slidable in the channeled section and provided with a toothed portion at one end and its opposite end rounded in a plane transverse to the groove, said toothed portion being adapted to locate in a notch and the device to rock about its rounded end, transversely to the channel with the corresponding channel wall as an abutment, for clearing the tooth of the device from a notch.

3. The combination with game apparatus embodying a playing board provided on its surface with a grooved or channeled section, one longitudinal wall of which is undercut and the opposite one notched; of a movable device slidable in the channeled section and provided with an undercut toothed portion at one end and its opposite end rounded in a plane transverse to the groove, said toothed portion being adapted to locate in a notch and the device to rock about its rounded end, transversely to the channel with the correspond ing channel wall as an abutment, for clearing the tooth of the device from a notch 4. The combination with game apparatus embodying a playing board provided on its surface with a grooved or channeled section notched along one longitudinal wall thereof; of a movable device slidable in the channeled section and provided with a toothed portion at one end and its opposite end rounded in a plane transverse to the groove, said toothed portion being adapted to locate in a notch and the device to rock about its rounded end, transversely to the channel with the corresponding channel wall as an abutment, for clearing the tooth of the device from a notch together with stop means to limit its rocking motion.

5. The combination with game apparatus embodying a playing board provided on its surface with a grooved or channeled section notched along one longitudinal wall thereof; of a movable device slidable in the channeled section and proided with a toothed portion at one end and its opposite end rounded in a plane transverse to the groove, said toothed portion being adapted to locate in a notch and the device to rock about its rounded end, transversely to the channel with the corresponding channel wall as an abutment, for clearing the tooth of the device from a notch, together with an upstanding finger projecting from the device having a rearwardly directed nose to limit the rocking motion of said device.

6. The combination with game apparatus embodying a playing board provided on its surface with a grooved or channeled section notched along one longitudinal wall thereof; of a movable device slidable in the channeled section and provided with a toothed portion at one end and its opposite end rounded in a plane transverse to the groove, said toothed portion being adapted to locate in a notch and the device to rock about its rounded end, transversely to the channel with the corresponding channel wall as an abutment, for clearing the tooth of the device from a notch, and the top of the movable device being recessed and provided with an operating wall for contact with the finger of a player.

7. The combination with game apparatus embodying a playing board provided on its surface with a grooved or channeled section notched along one longitudinal wall thereof; of a movable device slidable in the channeled section and provided with a toothed portion at one end adapted to locate in a notch and its opposite end being rounded substantially below the surface of the playing board in a plane transverse to the groove and the said toothed portion being inwardly beveled below the center of the rounded portion, the device being adapted to rock about said rounded portion transversely to the channel with the corresponding channel wall as an abutment, for clearing the tooth of the device from a notch.

THOMAS E. BROWN, JR. 

